Homelessness in Atlanta: How Many People Are Experiencing It and What It Means for the City

If you live in Atlanta, visit the city regularly, or are just trying to understand local issues, you’ve probably wondered: “How many homeless people are in Atlanta?” The honest answer is that there is no single exact number, but there are widely used estimates and patterns that can give you a realistic picture of homelessness in the city.

This guide walks through what those numbers look like, how they’re counted, why they change, and what’s being done about homelessness in Atlanta.

How Many People Are Homeless in Atlanta?

The big picture

In Atlanta, homelessness is typically measured in two main ways:

1. Point-in-time (PIT) counts
   A one-night snapshot, usually taken in late January, that estimates how many people are:

   • Sleeping in emergency shelters
   • Staying in transitional housing
   • Unsheltered (in cars, tents, abandoned buildings, or on the street)

2. Annual service usage
   Over the course of a year, many more people cycle in and out of homelessness than are visible on one night. Service providers, shelters, and outreach teams see thousands of individuals and families who experience at least some period of homelessness.

In recent years, common public estimates for the City of Atlanta (not the whole metro region) usually report:

• Several thousand people experiencing homelessness in a typical year
• Roughly 2,000 or fewer people counted on a single PIT night, including both sheltered and unsheltered individuals

Because these figures can change from year to year, it’s important to understand them as approximate and time-specific, not fixed.

Why the Number Is Hard to Pin Down

You may see different numbers quoted depending on who is counting and what they’re measuring. There are several reasons for this:

1. Hidden homelessness

Not everyone without stable housing is visible on the street. For example:

• People sleeping in cars in parking lots
• Families doubling up with friends or relatives
• People quietly staying in motels with no long-term lease

These groups often do not show up in point-in-time counts, but they are living in housing instability or homelessness.

2. One-night counts vs. real life

The PIT count is a useful tool, but it’s just one night:

• Some people may be indoors temporarily that night and not counted as unsheltered.
• Weather, safety concerns, or movement between counties can affect who is visible.

Over an entire year, many more people experience homelessness at some point than are ever captured in the PIT snapshot.

3. City vs. metro area

There is a big difference between:

• City of Atlanta (within city limits)
• Greater Atlanta / metro area (which includes multiple surrounding counties)

Some estimates talk only about the City of Atlanta, while others include the broader metro area, which significantly increases the total number.

What Types of Homelessness Exist in Atlanta?

Homelessness in Atlanta is not one single situation. Residents and visitors may notice certain visible patterns, but there is a wide range of experiences behind the scenes.

Common groups experiencing homelessness

• Single adults, often the most visible group in downtown and Midtown
• Families with children, more often in shelters or temporarily housed, less visible on the street
• Youth and young adults, including those leaving foster care or unstable homes
• Older adults, sometimes on fixed incomes that no longer cover rising housing costs
• People with disabilities, including physical, developmental, or behavioral health challenges

Types of homelessness

People in Atlanta can be:

• Unsheltered – living in tents, encampments, vehicles, or places not meant for habitation
• Sheltered – staying in emergency shelters or transitional housing programs
• At risk – housed today, but one job loss, medical bill, or rent increase away from losing their home

Where Is Homelessness Most Visible in Atlanta?

Homelessness in Atlanta is citywide, but some areas are more noticeably impacted because of their proximity to services and transit.

Areas where you may notice more visible homelessness

• Downtown Atlanta
  Near government buildings, transit hubs, and major streets
• Midtown
  Around high-traffic areas, parks, and transit
• Corridors with transit access
  Near MARTA stations, bus stops, and busy intersections
• Underpasses and encampment areas
  Along major roadways or tucked near rail lines, when encampments form

Visibility does not equal concentration of need. Many people experiencing homelessness are inside shelters or in unstable housing situations that are not obvious from the street.

Why People Become Homeless in Atlanta

The number of homeless people in Atlanta is directly tied to several local factors. Common contributing issues include:

• Rising housing costs and rent increases
  Many long-time residents are priced out of neighborhoods where they lived for years.
• Shortage of deeply affordable housing
  Even people working full-time can struggle to afford rent in many parts of the city.
• Job loss or unstable employment
  Irregular work and low wages make it harder to maintain consistent rent payments.
• Health and behavioral health challenges
  Conditions that are hard to manage without stable housing can also make it harder to keep a job or lease.
• Family conflict or domestic violence
  People may leave unsafe situations with nowhere stable to go.
• Reentry after incarceration or institutional stays
  Returning to the community without a support network or income makes stable housing difficult to secure.

These factors do not apply to everyone in the same way, but they help explain why the overall numbers stay persistent or rise over time.

How Atlanta Counts and Responds to Homelessness

Even if the exact number changes, Atlanta uses a consistent framework to understand and address homelessness.

Key local systems and agencies

• City of Atlanta – coordinates policy, funding, and partnerships around housing and homelessness.
• Fulton and DeKalb County systems – many homeless services operate regionally, given how people move across city and county lines.
• Coordinated entry system – a shared intake and referral process that connects people experiencing homelessness with shelter, housing, and support services.
• Nonprofit providers and outreach teams – operate shelters, street outreach, supportive housing, and day services.

Types of support commonly available in Atlanta

• Emergency shelters for individuals and families
• Transitional and supportive housing programs
• Street outreach teams that connect with people living unsheltered
• Day centers offering meals, showers, and basic support
• Housing-focused programs that help people move from homelessness into longer-term housing

While capacity is limited and demand often exceeds what is available, these efforts shape and influence the overall number of people counted as homeless in the city.

Homelessness vs. Housing Instability: Why the Distinction Matters

When people ask, “How many homeless are in Atlanta?”, they are often also thinking about those who are:

• Behind on rent
• Living in overcrowded situations
• Moving frequently between friends’ or relatives’ homes
• Staying in motels without a stable lease

Many Atlanta residents live in this gray area between housed and homeless. They might not be counted in formal homelessness numbers, but they are one crisis away from losing housing.

For local policymakers and service providers, these at-risk groups are a major concern, because they often become the next wave of people entering homelessness if no support is available.

Quick Snapshot: Understanding the Numbers in Context

Here’s a simple way to think about homelessness in Atlanta:

What This Means If You Live in or Visit Atlanta

If you are in Atlanta, understanding how many people are homeless helps put what you see on the streets into perspective:

• The people you notice downtown or near transit stations are only part of the picture.
• Many families, youth, and older adults are experiencing homelessness more quietly, in shelters or unstable housing.
• The number you hear in news stories is usually an estimate tied to a specific method and time frame, not a permanent or exact count.

Where to Turn for Help or to Get Involved in Atlanta

If you or someone you know in Atlanta is at immediate risk of homelessness or already without shelter, or if you want to better understand local services, these types of resources are commonly available:

General emergency and crisis help

• 911 – For medical emergencies or situations involving immediate danger.
• Local non-emergency police lines – For safety concerns that are urgent but not life-threatening.

Homelessness and housing-focused services

Many Atlanta-based agencies and shelters provide:

• Intake and assessment for people experiencing homelessness
• Shelter referrals
• Case management and housing navigation
• Support with IDs, documentation, and benefits applications

Because specific program details and entry points can change, people in Atlanta usually:

• Call or visit local shelters or larger nonprofit providers
• Connect with street outreach workers in areas with visible homelessness
• Seek help through county or city resource centers that coordinate housing and social services

Understanding how many homeless people are in Atlanta is less about a single exact number and more about seeing the scale and nature of the issue. The city experiences thousands of people moving in and out of homelessness every year, with a smaller but still significant number visible on any given night. For residents, visitors, and community members, recognizing this broader context is the first step toward responding in an informed and constructive way.